Expression of CD1d molecules on B cells in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) which is the most common leukemia in adults in Western countries still remains incurable. There is an intense search for the prognostic markers that might facilitate the treatment of patients according to individual prognosis. The aim of the presented study was to evaluate the expression of CD1d molecule on peripheral blood B cells from 70 untreated patients with CLL and 20 healthy donors. The samples were analyzed by flow cytometry directly after preparation.The results of the study showed that the median percentage of CD1d-positive B cells was significantly lower in peripheral blood of patients with CLL than in healthy subjects from control group. Additionally, the percentage of CD1d+ B cells in CLL patients varied in patients with different Rai stages. We have also observed significant differences in CD1d expression depending on CD38 or ZAP70 expression. Moreover, patients with CLL had lower percentages of iNKT cells than healthy donors and the percentage of CD1d+/CD19+ cells inversely correlated with the percentage of iNKT cells. Our results suggest the important role of CD1d molecule in the development and progression of CLL, as well as its potential prognostic significance

Ekspresja cytokin wewnątrzkomórkowych w limfocytach T u chorych na przewlekłą białaczkę limfocytową

Functional disorders of T lymphocytes play an essential role in abnormal immune response in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia. The aim of this study was to assess the profile of cytokines expressed by T cells derived from patients with CLL. We have demonstrated that the intracellular levels of IL-2, IL-4, IFN-γ, TNF, IL-6 and IL-10 were significantly higher in T cells of CLL patients than in healthy donors. Moreover, the percentages of CD4+/CD3+/TNF+, CD4+/CD3+/IFN-γ+, and CD4+/CD3+/IL-2+ cells were significantly higher in ZAP-70-positive patients compared with ZAP-70-negative ones. Likewise, significantly higher percentages of CD4+/CD3+/TNF+, CD4+/CD3+/IFN-γ+ cells were observed in CD38-positive than in CD38-negative cases. What is more, there was a significant difference in median percentage of CD3+/CD4+ cells expressing TNF, IL-4, IFN-γ, IL-2 or IL-6 between patients carrying the 11q22.3 deletion and/or the 17p13.1 deletion and patients without these genetic aberrations. Our results confirm the functional disorders of T cells in CLL and their influence on the clinical course of the disease

Tie-2 expressing monocytes in chronic lymphocytic leukemia

IntroductionIn peripheral blood, monocytes form a heterogeneous population of cells. One particular subset of circulating monocytes is expressing the angiopoietin receptor Tie-2 (Tie2-expressing monocyte; TEM). TEM are characterized by tumor promoting properties. However, the role of TEM in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) immunopathogenesis remains undefined.Material and MethodsHere, we evaluated the monocytes with Tie-2 expression (CD14+Tie-2+) in peripheral blood of CLL patients (n=55) and normal subjects (n=15) by flow cytometry. We investigated possible associations between TEM and poor prognostic factors such as CD38 or ZAP-70 expression, Rai stage and unfavorable cytogenetic abnormalities. Moreover, we investigated the association of TEM percentage with CD14++CD16+ monocytes and Treg percentages.ResultsWe found that CLL patients had a higher percentage of CD14+Tie-2+ monocytes compared to normal controls. The percentage of TEM was positively associated with ZAP-70 expression as well as with unfavourable cytogenetic changes: del(17p) and/or del(11q). The frequency of TEM increased with the disease stage. We showed no correlation between the percentage of TEM and CD38 expression. The percentage of TEM at diagnosis was associated with white blood cell count as well as with the percentages of CD19+CD5+ lymphocytes and Tregs. The majority of CD14+Tie-2+ cells belonged to the intermediate monocytes subset (CD14++CD16+) while fewer of them were among the classical (CD14++CD16−) or non-classical monocyte (CD14+CD16++) subsets. TEM and CD14++CD16+ monocytes have a proangiogenic activity, suppress T-cell activation and promote Treg expansion. The results suggest that monitoring of TEM number and function may provide useful information in determining disease activity

Viscosity Approximation of PDMS Using Weibull Function

The viscosity of a fluid is one of its basic physico-chemical properties. The modelling of this property as a function of temperature has been the subject of intensive studies. The knowledge of how viscosity and temperature variation are related is particularly important for applications that use the intrinsic friction of fluids to dissipate energy, for example viscous torsional vibration dampers using high viscosity poly(dimethylsiloxane) as a damping factor. This article presents a new method for approximating the dynamic viscosity of poly(dimethylsiloxane). It is based on the three-parameter Weibull function that far better reflects the relationship between viscosity and temperature compared with the models used so far. Accurate mapping of dynamic viscosity is vitally important from the point of view of the construction of viscous dampers, as it allows for accurate estimation of their efficiency in the energy dissipation process

Assessment of english oak (Quercus robur L.) growth in varied soil-substrate conditions of reclaimed Piaseczno sulfur mine dump

This study presents selected tree stand features and stand productivity of the English oak (Quercus robur L.) growing in the conditions of a reclaimed external dump of Piaseczno sulfur mine in Tarnobrzeg mining area. Following 40 years of growth in the dump, the oak trees reached first and second bonitation class and good growth parameters. The oak obtained the highest stand volume and basal area on sandy soils and loamy-sand substrates. A significant negative correlation between high clay content in soil cores and tree stand parameters was observed, indicating unfavourable impact on tree growth. The results confirmed the usefulness of the English oak as the main (target) species in the conditions of sulfur dumps, and the suitability of its introduction with preliminary identification of micro-habitat differentiation

Assessment of english oak (Quercus robur L.) growth in varied soil-substrate conditions of reclaimed Piaseczno sulfur mine dump

This study presents selected tree stand features and stand productivity of the English oak (Quercus robur L.) growing in the conditions of a reclaimed external dump of Piaseczno sulfur mine in Tarnobrzeg mining area. Following 40 years of growth in the dump, the oak trees reached first and second bonitation class and good growth parameters. The oak obtained the highest stand volume and basal area on sandy soils and loamy-sand substrates. A significant negative correlation between high clay content in soil cores and tree stand parameters was observed, indicating unfavourable impact on tree growth. The results confirmed the usefulness of the English oak as the main (target) species in the conditions of sulfur dumps, and the suitability of its introduction with preliminary identification of micro-habitat differentiation

Assessment of tree vitality, biomass and morphology of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) root systems growing on reclaimed landfill waste after zinc and lead flotation

The stability of introduced stands depends not only on aboveground but also on the belowground biomass. Results from reclaimed sites often indicate good growth of the aboveground part of stands, but data on the development of root systems are still lacking. Our aim was to assess the vitality of trees, their biomass and the morphology of the root systems of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) introduced on reclaimed landfill waste after zinc and lead flotation in Bukowno (southern Poland). The landfill site was reclaimed 20 years ago and reclamation treatments involved isolation and covering with mineral substrate layers (110–150 cm thickness) which formed a technogenic soil profile. Four research plots (10 m × 10 m) were set up in pure pine stands where soil profiles consisted entirely of flotation waste. Trees on the plots were assayed according to the Kraft and IUFRO classification system. In total, 15 trees of average growth parameters and bio-sociological position (I and II Kraft class) were selected for biomass and root system analyses and the root systems were excavated, washed, measured, weighed and photographed

Prognostic Value of the miR-17~92 Cluster in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia

The aim of this study was to investigate the expression of miR-17∼92 cluster members in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) patients. Six microRNAs (miRNAs)—miR-17, miR-18a, miR-19a, miR-19b-1, miR-20a, and miR-92a-1—very poorly characterized in CLL patients, were chosen for the study to consider their possible role as cancer biomarkers. It is currently unclear to which extent miR-17~92 expression is related to other routinely measured CLL markers, and whether the findings can be of any clinical significance. To achieve this goal, we report the expression levels of these miRNAs detected by RT-qPCR in purified CD19+ B lymphocytes of 107 CLL patients and correlate them with existing clinical data. The study provides new evidence regarding the heterogeneity of miR-17~92 cluster members’ expression in CLL patients. Higher miR-17-5p expression was associated with unfavorable prognostic factors (i.e., 17p and 11q deletions, CD38 and ZAP-70 expression). On the other hand, miR-19a, miR-20a, and miR-92a-1 negatively correlated with these adverse factors. The presence of del(13q) as a sole aberration was associated with a significantly lower miR-17-5p as well as higher miR-19a-3p and miR-92a-1-5p expression compared to patients carrying unfavorable genetic aberrations. Particularly, miR-20a could be considered an independent favorable prognostic factor. In a multivariate analysis, high miR-20a expression remained an independent marker predicting long TTT (time to treatment) for CLL patients

Genetically Engineered Lung Cancer Cells for Analyzing Epithelial–Mesenchymal Transition

Cell plasticity, defined as the ability to undergo phenotypical transformation in a reversible manner, is a physiological process that also exerts important roles in disease progression. Two forms of cellular plasticity are epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) and its inverse process, mesenchymal–epithelial transition (MET). These processes have been correlated to the poor outcome of different types of neoplasias as well as drug resistance development. Since EMT/MET are transitional processes, we generated and validated a reporter cell line. Specifically, a far-red fluorescent protein was knocked-in in-frame with the mesenchymal gene marker VIMENTIN (VIM) in H2170 lung cancer cells. The vimentin reporter cells (VRCs) are a reliable model for studying EMT and MET showing cellular plasticity upon a series of stimulations. These cells are a robust platform to dissect the molecular mechanisms of these processes, and for drug discovery in vitro and in vivo in the future